David French

It's very unclear really what the true administration strategy is.

It is, if we're even floating regime change at this point, then you're really mixing and muddying the waters.

You're really creating conditions where the regime might say, what are you talking about nuclear deal?

You're actually wanting us gone.

That in many ways could cause them to hunker down.

There's a very poor track record at engineering regime change entirely by airstrikes and through aerial means.

You know, now, if we were able to deter, say, a massacre of innocent civilians, that would be a worthwhile use of American power.

But these different outcomes and these different strategies and different approaches, it's all opaque.

And this brings me to this last point.

This is why you need to go to Congress.

When you go to Congress and you're explaining to the American people what you're wanting to do, there's a couple of things that happen.

One, you're going to be able to hold an administration accountable.

If you're announcing a war aim, then we can hold you accountable to that.

Number two, if you're talking about entering into military conflict, that yes, A, it could go really well in the way previous American countries

Aerial campaigns have gone without losses to American pilots, without serious economic or terror attack ramifications.

But this is a situation that might not go as well.

It might not.

And you've not prepared the public for that.

I think if you talked to the average American, they'd have little knowledge this is unfolding.

And that is not the right atmosphere in which to start potentially dangerous military operations.